


Altea Dance Club

by HouseOfAnna



Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Coran is the best choreographer, Dance Club AU, Dancer Lance (Voltron), From Rivals to friends to lovers, Gen, Hunk and Pidge are geniuses and supportive friends, M/M, Singer Keith (Voltron), Slow Burn, Veronica also is a dancer, Whole Voltron team works in the dance club, but also established relationship eventually, there is a lot of music and dancing, there will be smut eventually, they make shows and stuff
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-07-28
Updated: 2018-07-28
Packaged: 2019-06-17 15:23:46
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 7,406
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15464379
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/HouseOfAnna/pseuds/HouseOfAnna
Summary: Imagine a young, fresh and talented dancer with potential and determination to achieve great things and bad-tempered vocalist with a not-so-great reputation working in the best dance club in the country and having to cope with each other. There is only one end to this scenario.





	Altea Dance Club

**Author's Note:**

> HAPPY BIRTHDAY LANCE!!! ✨✨✨✨✨  
> This is my contribution to this national holiday, let us praise the best boy out there!!! I wanted to upload it for so long!!! 
> 
> This is like a pilot-chapter so there is 0% of klance yet, but we will get there.  
> Enjoy! ᕕ( ᐛ )ᕗ

 

It wasn't the warmest day. It was cloudy and one could feel the heaviness of the upcoming rain in the air. Hunk and Pidge in the front seat were currently engaged in a discussion about everyday stuff. Lance didn't pay attention. He felt his excitement rise, as he watched tall, glass skyscrapers disappear in the window of a back seat in Hunk's yellow Mazda minivan.

When he woke up this morning, he still couldn't believe it. He finally was going to be a part of the most prestige and exclusive dance club in the whole country - The Altea Dance Club. Of course, he has to make it through auditions first, but it's not like this is a problem for him, right? How could they not hire him with those dance moves and this adorable smile?!

His best friends were already the part of the team: Hunk was the main engineer in the Altea and Pidge worked as a DJ and IT expert. Since Lance graduated from Garrison Dance School, he was waiting for the dance audition for new dancers in Altea to reopen. And now, after months of perfecting his choreography, he was more than ready for this.

They took the last turn and passed the front of the club. It was white, impressive building. A big, metal double door was surrounded by light blue neons curling into esthetic flourishes from the sides and a sizable ' _Altea_ ' neon sign from the top. They drove past the main entrance and turned into a nearby gate leading to the back of a building and a staff parking.

They get out of the car to a small parking. The back of the building wasn't as impressive as the front - red brick wall with fire escape and ordinary-looking door on a ground floor. Next to the entrance stood a lean girl in a floral maxi dress and denim jacket. She had skin tone and hair colour same as Lance and long wavy curls resting loosely on her back. She waved energetically when she saw them.

"Hey, Veronica!" Hunk was already waving back with a polite smile.  
"Hey, guys! Lancy!" Veronica shouted back, jumping a little on her heels. As soon as they gathered their things from the car and stepped closer to her, she gave Lance quick, strong hug before she grasped his shoulders in her stretched arms, "So, is my baby brother ready to make some big steps in his career or what?"

Lance gave her amused smile, "And is mama's cheesecake fluffy and heavenly delicious?? I was born ready, Vera!"

Veronica was three years older, but still almost a foot shorter than Lance. She was the closest to Lance from all of their siblings. They went to the Garrison together, won countless pair dancing competitions and ever since Vera graduated and started to dance at the Altea, Lance was more than determined to follow in her footsteps.

"I would love to hear more about that cheesecake and all, but can we get inside already? I think it's starting to rain." Hunk hastened them as he wiped off a single water drop from his forehead with one hand and held a plastic box full of spare parts on his shoulder with the other one.

They went inside to a small lobby with two elevators, old, leather couch with a coffee table, a door of a staircase and corridor leading to the coulisse. On one of the walls was hung huge pinboard filled with colourful flyers of events taking place at the club, many tables with schedules of each dance practice and dancer's assigned songs. The opposite wall was filled with big and small framed photos of the dance shows, famous people who visited the club or groups of dancers making silly faces to the camera. Near the elevators was placed a simple sign "Dance auditions: Mainstage at 11:00 am. Locker-room A3 on the first floor is available for all participants."

"Um, I think Hunk and I need to go now, Coran wants us to test these new smoke generators." declared Pidge as she was showing the screen of her phone to Hunk.  
"WHAT?! I thought you guys will be there for my audition!"  
"Relax Lance, we will see everything from the control room, remember?"  
"Oh, Lancy! I have next hour free so, I can give you a tour around the Altea!"  
  
"Oh! Wait!" Hunk unceremoniously handed heavy-looking box to Pidge, who yelped a little under the weight of it. After fumbling in it for a moment, he retrieved a little plastic package of parts resembling microchips and a cute bag of chocolate-chip cookies covered in hearts and handed it to Lance. "You think you can stop by at Shay's and deliver it for me?"

Lance brought the gift closer to his eyes and scanned it with a critical eye. "I don't know if you are the nerdiest or most romantic boyfriend there is, but I'm sure Shay will love it."

A bashful smile raised on said boyfriend face, while he scratched the back of his head. "Oh, it's nothing, just some parts for a project we are working on." Hunk giggled adorably. "And I backed her favourites cookies too."

"Aaawww! Hunk, do you still have a tag on? 'cause I want to know where they make boyfriends like you!" Lance’s sister was absolutely charmed with the gesture of the boy. "Don't worry, we got this. Now go, you don't want Coran to wait for you, do you?"

"Yeah, last time we were late he called us "Duflaxes" and I'm still not sure how should I feel about this." deadpanned Pidge while struggling with the weight of the container.

The group parted and with the last shout "GO GET THEM LION" Pidge and Hunk disappeared in the corridor. Lance and Veronica entered one of the elevators and with the press of a button, the door shut and the lift started to move, starting their tour.

\--//--

"...And this is where the magic happens!" Veronica theatrically entered a room spreading her arms wide.  
"This is, like, a fifth time you said that today."  
"No, but it really does happen here! Just look!"

The room was full of mirrors, changing booths and racks with a huge amount of clothes of different designs, textures and styles. The place overflowed with sequins, flounces, embroideries and silks. With the ton of shoes neatly organised under the rugs and a smell of freshly ironed cloth, the place seemed like a perfect little boutique.

"C'mon, look at this!" Veronica pulled Lance between the racks. "This one is from the 'Back to 20s' night we had a few weeks ago! It's one of my favourites!" She took from a rack a fitting beige dress with rows of long fringes waving with each movement. "Man, it was so fun! Allura has to bring it back soon! Oh, even my tap dancing shoes are still here!"  
"Wait, so you guys have all of this to choose from for the shows?!"  
"Well, we don't choose what we'll wear, Shay does, but it's still pretty amazing, right?" the girl put the dress back on place and took a snapback cap from the top shelf full of accessories and put it on backwards "One song you can be local hip-hop bad-boy..." she swiftly changed it to a top hat "... and the next song you can be a fancy young lord."  
They both chuckled as Lance started to fumble in the accessories "Or... Oh!" He spread a pink fluffy fan in front of his face "Or you can be a beautiful princess..." He moved it away to reveal a plastic glock pistol in his other hand "... with a license to kill!"

They laughed and giggled as they explored each rack and Veronica talked about shows they were from, till someone opened the door with a soft click.  
Shay walked in with hairs pinned in a double bun, clothes choose to perfectly fit with each other along with big, round earrings and a bag with drafting tube slung around her shoulder. She sang quietly and softly along with a music playing in her earbuds. It seemed like an aura of sunshine and joy entered the room at the same time.

"Hi, Shay!" The siblings called from between the hangers, but Shay didn't seem to notice. She made her way to the corner of the room with a table and sewing machine and removed her earbuds.  
"HI, SHAY!" They yelled, this time standing right behind her.  
Shay yelped, almost dropping her stuff in shock. The girl turned around in fear in her eyes. "Oh my god! You scared me! I'm glad to see you guys but... please, never do that again!"  
"We are very sorry, I was just showing Lance around the place and.. we got a little bit too excited."  
"Yeah! I knew your designs are out of this world, but I never knew you work at actual heaven! It's amazing here!"  
Shay calmed herself enough to smile politely at the boy "Thank you, I always try to keep everything organised and ready for the show. It's a lot of work, not to mention designing and sewing clothes."  
"Speaking of, Hunk gave us something for you. He said it's for some project or something."

Lance started fumbling in his sports bag that was slung on his shoulder, retrieved a small box and gave it to Shay. He continued with an overly innocent face and hands put together "You know, now that I think of it, he also said something about rewarding your friends for doing you favours, like delivering things for them or something like that, right Vera?"  
His sister needed just one glance at his face to know what's up and followed suit. "Yeah, you right, he mentioned sharing your food, for example, cookies if you happened to have any, as a sign of gratitude for your friends."

Shay looked between them confused until she noticed the bag of chocolate-chip cookies she was holding and rolled her eyes. "Oh really? That's interesting. Anyway, do you guys want one?" She held the bag in front of her for the pair to help themselves. They gladly did.  
Stuffing his mouth with baked good, Lance pointed at the remaining content of the box  
"And what are these for?"  
Shay moved the box closer to her eyes inspecting little green plates with silver lines and junctions. "Hmmm... Oh! These are motherboards, I can't believe he managed to make them so small, this will make everything easier. Hunk must have worked so hard on those and he baked me cookies too!" She sighed as a cute blush crept on her face.  
"Okay, but what are they for?"  
"It's for a project we are working on, but... it's a secret." The girl turned to him with a shy smile.  
"Oh, c'mon, you can tell me!"  
"I promise you will see it soon enough, okay? Besides, doesn't your audition start soon?"  
Veronica, who was occupied cherishing her cookie, now looked at the clock and hurried Lance "Shay's right, we better get going."  
As the two were about to leave, Shay hugged Lance and wished him all the best of luck, and soon they disappeared behind the door.

\--//--

"Okay, thank you, Keith, that'd be all."  
Shiro was leaning over the mic on the mixing console and pushing a button while he spoke. Keith gave him a little nod from the live room and started to gather his music sheets.

Altea had several recording rooms, each in decent condition. It allowed dancers to record the song in the booth and lip sync it later on the show. Most dancers didn't even have a good-sounding voice so the recording could be mixed into a more pleasant tone. Allura knew that people come to her club for an entertainment and good music - not necessarily a live music. Some guests didn't know that and those who knew - didn't care, they just wanted a good show.

Shiro looked at Allura sitting on the swivel chair in front of the mixing console. She looked thoughtful, fumbling with one of the knobs on the console.  
"So... What do you think?" Shiro asked with a small hopeful smile.  
Allura gazed at him and let a deep sigh, "He is good, really good" she grimaced a bit at this thought "The club could really use a good vocalist right now and we'd even be able to pull off a live performance with him. It's just..."  
"Allura... I know you can't stand Zorkon the Galra Records, but the fact that Keith worked for them doesn't mean he _is_ like them." Shiro took a moment to weigh his words "I worked for Galra Records too and you know I'm not like them."  
Allura snapped from her chair "Yes, Shiro! But I knew you before that and I trust you, but why should I trust him!"  
Shiro put his prosthetic arm on her shoulder, making a serious yet soft expression. "He is my brother, I've known him all my life. _I_ trust him. You should give him a chance."

The woman looked away with furrowed eyebrows. She knew Shiro was right. The Club lost some valuable staff members lately and none of them came close to Keith's vocal level. Not to mention they didn't hold a live music night for years. This could really improve the Club's income and rating.

The small click of opening door of live room snapped her out of her thoughts. Keith walked into the control room with an anxious grimace, staring at Shiro and Allura with a questioning look. "So... did you like it?"  
Allura didn't meet his gaze, looking once again at his resume "It was good - great, to be honest." She pointed at his resume in her lap, "I see you attended Garrison Dance School in your past, is that correct?"  
Keith cringed a little at the memory of it, "Yes, that is correct, but... only for three years, I never graduated."

He hated to say it. He couldn't stand when people asked him, why he never graduated. It was one of those memories, he wanted to suppress inside his mind until it becomes so vague, it will seem like a bad dream.

"I see." fortunately Allura didn't push further into this. She stood up and approached the two men. "I'd like to see you at the dance practice tomorrow, I want to know what I'm working with." She forced a welcoming smile and reached out to shake his hand, "Welcome aboard, Mr Kogane."  
Keith brightened slightly and shook her hand, "Thank you, Ms Allura, I won't let you down."  
"Now, if you excuse me, I have some duties to attend to. Shiro can give you a tour and provide with any necessary information you will need. You will get the schedules and song assignment via email, so be sure to check that. I really must go now, so see you tomorrow." she grabbed her paperwork and coffee mug and headed to the door, leaving them alone.

The corridor was empty, she noticed in relief. She walked towards the staircase checking her phone.  
10:52  
Allura growled to herself. She didn't even have her coffee break yet and she was almost late for today's auditions. It's not easy being in charge of the whole dance club on your own. She pushed her phone back to her back pocket and jogged down the stairs.

\--//--

His favourite navy blue joggers with flower embroidery on the sides: check.  
A classic black Adidas tank top that clung to his chest muscles just right: check.  
A pair of his lucky sneakers, that he brought to every important contest: check.  
An astonishing smile and handsome beaming face: check.  
A pep talk he gave himself this morning and again a minute ago: done and done.  
But most importantly - the well thought through and impressive dance he choreographed himself and wandered over and over again to the point, he could perform it in his sleep: check.

20 minutes have passed since Veronica gave him the tour and walked him back to his designated locker-room. He gave his mirror reflection finger guns one last time. He was practically radiating good vibes and positivity. He felt like nothing could stop him.  
Regarding Vera's instructions, the entrance on the stage should be a floor beneath, next to a staircase.  
He wandered off the locker-room and made his way to staircase door. He took no more than two steps through the door, he felt a sudden forceful push from the side. His other side hit the wall with a thud. A sharp yelp escaped him when he felt a hot liquid spreading on his forearm.  
  
It took him a moment to realise someone running down the stairs crashed into him. And that this someone wasn't just anyone. The shock from the hit turned into the shock from the sight in front of him.

A dark-skinned beauty with silver-white hair gathered in a messy bun was staring at him in an as much shock. "Oh, I'm so sorry, dear! I was in the rush and I didn't see you there. I'm so sorry. Are you alright?" The girl blinked at him with worried face waiting for an answer.  
Lance assembled all his brain functions to shake off the concussion and give an answer. He leaned on his elbow on the door frame and with the best smile he could master, he replied, "Oh, I'm always alright when you're around, pretty lady." and end the sentence with a wink.  
The woman furrowed her eyebrows and glanced at the boy suspicious, "Are you sure? This coffee was hot and you hit this wall pretty badly."  
"Oh, this coffee may be hot, but your bod is way hotter, baby."  
"Yeah, You'll be alright." She rolled her eyes with a bored expression on her face and continued her jog down the stairs.

Lance just stood there for a while with a disappointed face. Well, it seems not everyone digs his fine pick-up lines. But it's not like this one failure gonna ruin his day, right? He checked if there was any real damage; the shirt was black, so there were no visible stains as most of the drink spilt on his arm. Lance shrug and continue his way to the stage. He already could feel his self-esteem rise to the previous level. This is his day. Everything's gonna be alright.

\--//--

It's not alright, okay? It's. Not. Alright.  
Lance considered himself a professional dancer at least. But people waiting next to the door to the backstage - they were real pros; muscles on every place of their bodies, sporting most expensive dance shoes Lance has ever seen and stretched into weird poses, that human body shouldn't be capable of.  
He slowly stepped over some guy making a full split taking the whole width of the corridor. Lance sit on an empty spot on the floor and started eyeing his competition.

Sure, he could make a split, an amazing one even. He thought his flexibility was one of his best features, his special thing. But seeing people not giving a single thought before stretching their foot above their head made him rethink that. Maybe his flexibility wasn't so special after all. He was just some boy who graduated from a dance school a few months ago, but these guys were probably dancing in clubs like that for years! Honestly, what were the chances that he would be one of the chosen dancers?  
He hugged his legs to his chest.

Minutes have passed and some guy started calling first contestants. Most of them returned with a proud smile, evidently pleased with their performance, which made Lance only more insecure. As time passed he considered his options; he always could go back to his parent's farm and live the rest of his life as a horse-boy and in the worst scenario he thought about changing his identity and hiding somewhere in Cuba.  
He promised himself that whatever happens, he will do his best. This is the day he was training for.  
"Yyy... Lance McClain? Please get ready, you're up next."  
The voice of the staff member peering through the door spread over Lance body like a bucket of ice-cold water. He stood up straight and marched to the door with his hands clenched into fists.

Behind the door was a forest of curtains, ropes and cables stretched from the ground up to the ceiling almost 30 meters above. On the floor were situated all kinds of speakers, instruments and different mechanical apparatus. The guy with a baseball hat and ear microphone lead him through the maze of equipment to the left wing of the stage. On a centre stage, some heavy muscled dude was currently pulling off impressive break-dance moves to a hip-hop song blasting through the speakers. Lance gulped as he watched the man perform, not stumbling even once.

"You are Lance, right?" The staff-guy tugged gently on his shoulder, pulling Lance out of his thoughts.  
"Um... Y-yeah."  
"Hunk and Pidge wish you good luck." The man smiled politely and pointed at his ear microphone.  
Lance gawked for a while at the man, then suddenly his expression changed to a more excited one.  
"C-can I speak with them??" He gestured towards the ear mic.  
"Sure," The staff member took his mic off and passed it to the boy "Just push the yellow button while you speak."  
Lance did as he was told and, with a more shaky voice as he intended to, he started babbling to the mic.  
"Hunk? Pidge?? Are you there guys?! Can you hear me? These other dudes here look like a real deal, I-I don't think I can do this! I could never..."  
"Lance, relax! Calm down!" Hunk's voice was like a warm honey slipping through the little speaker in Lance's ear, "You can easily beat the contestants we've seen so far, you got this!"  
"Y-you've seen them? How??"  
"I've told you we'll see everything from the control room, all the way up on the opposite wall." He heard some muffled voice in the background, "Oh, yeah, and Pidge says if you start embarrassing yourself, she will create a short circuit and make all the lights go off." Hunk chuckled before, he continued in a soft and calming voice, "But seriously dude, you have nothing to worry about. Trust me."  
Lance cracked a little smile. This is at what he needed right now.  
"Thanks, buddy. I love you, guys."  
"Aaawww! Now go kick some dancers asses! See you on stage, dude!"

He gave the ear mic back to the staff-guy and let out a deep sigh. The music stopped as the break-dancer ended his performance and was leaving the stage.  
"Okay, now, you have to go all the way to the red cross on the floor over there, answer the questions, do your thing and after this you go to the right-wing-" the guy in a hut gestured towards the other end of the stage, "and Rachel over there will lead you further. You got this?"  
Lance bit his lip, looking focused on the red cross and nodded slightly, "Okay... I got this."  
"Good," the man patted his back and pushed slightly forward, "good luck, man."

Lance made his way to the red cross never looking away from it. Once he was there, he took a deep breath and turned towards the audience, just to be blinded by an intensely bright light.

\--//--

Ever since he got off his bike on the Altea parking this morning, there was one question in his mind, he kept asking himself: Why did he agree to this?  
He managed to come up with two good reasons so far.  
a) He needed money.  
Keith's budget was running low lately and, although he tried hard, really, none of the record companies held him longer than needed for recording back vocals or some minor, random songs.  
Not that The Galra Records made it easy for him. Ever since he left the damn company, they've been making sure he can't find another. Thanks to those bastards, his reputation in the show-business was worse than he would have wanted and far from the truth. And there was his second reason;  
b) Getting the opportunity.  
Many dancers from the Altea were known to find jobs at music videos and all sorts of concerts and TV shows, fetched by some head-hunter in the crowd. Maybe it could work for him as well?

They were slowly strolling down the corridor with distant music, rumbling through walls. They were passing the various dance halls and music rooms, as Shiro was babbling about how thrilled he was to work with him at the same place again, and about the dance practice, Keith was supposed to attend tomorrow.

He didn't mind dancing. He really liked it, to be honest. Back in the days, he did quite a number of concerts that necessitated choreographed dances. He was no stranger to that. Moreover, The Garrison Dance School was one of his most pleasant, yet most bitter memories.

Shiro fell silent for a moment, as he read Keith's thoughtful expression.  
"Hey, why so sorrow? I thought you were happy, you got the job you wanted." Shiro's soft and concerned voice carried out a small sigh from Keith.  
"Rather the job I needed, more than wanted. Besides," Keith tightened his grip on the strap of the rusty, leather mailbag hung over his chest. "I don't think I will be here for long. Allura didn't seem to be particularly happy to put me on the payroll." He let a small, quick snort. "I will be surprised if I won't be booted out in a week."  
"Listen, Keith..." Shiro came to a stop, holding a simple black guitar case with his prosthetic arm, "Allura has a good reason to hate Galra," his hand made its way to Keith's shoulder, causing him to look up at his older brother, "And so do you. You, from all people, know best, how hard it would be to trust one of them again."  
"But I'm _not_ one of them, Shiro" Keith hissed back, looking away.  
"I know that. You just need to show that to Allura. I know her long enough to know, she won't fire you, until you give her a solid reason to."

Keith stayed silent. A small part of him wanted to believe he'll eventually find a place for himself, a place he will make his own. After numerous rejections, he learned not to fall for that fantasy right away.

  
As he didn't receive any response, Shiro gave the younger male a heartwarming smile and a small pat on the back, before he entered the door they stood by. Keith followed him hesitantly into a cosy break room with few tables, big, frayed couch and a kitchenette.  
Shiro put away his guitar and gestured toward one of the tables.  
"Come on in, Keith, make yourself at home."  
Keith scratched the back of his head, still looking around uncertain.  
"Thanks, Shiro, but, if this is the end of our tour, I think I'll head home, you know?"  
The older male clicked his tongue, as he was fumbling around in the cabinet and pulling out two glasses.  
"I haven't seen my little brother in almost three weeks! I want to catch up with you!"  
"No really, thanks, but I'd better..."  
Shiro turned towards Keith, crossing his arms over his chest.  
"Oh, come on buddy, let's just have a lunch together." Keith still stood awkwardly in the door frame, while Shiro opened the fridge with a smug smile.  
"I bought sushi..." He pulled out two sushi boxes and gave Keith a hopeful smile.  
Keith eyed the boxes as bit his bottom lip, "Salmon?"  
Shiro closed his eyes and nodded.  
"Mmm... okay, you got me there." Keith chuckled out and throw his bag next to Shiro's guitar case.

\--//--

He blinked.  
He hovered one hand in front of him, to stop the beam of light hitting his eyes.  
He blinked once more, adjusting his seeing. Bright, white spots were flowing under his eyelids when he closed his eyes.  
After adjusting his vision more, Lance could see he was facing a small table, placed on an apron stage. Its countertop was covered in papers and folders, with an addition of a small lamp and two portable coffee mugs. He squinted his eyes to take in the features of two figures sitting behind the table; a red-haired guy with a fancy, thick moustache in a dark - blue turtleneck, and a girl with highly pinned bun and - no way, it was the girl from the staircase! 

Lance stared blankly at the woman and man, as they were occupied writing notes and leafing through folders, not noticing his presence.  
He internally cursed his flirtatious nature for throwing pick-up lines at everything.  
How could he be dumb enough to flirt with his (hopefully) future-boss-to-be? Oh god, why did things like that always happen to him? Now, they probably gonna kick him out from here in no time! Good job, Lance. _Damn you and your loud mouth!_

"Oh," the man with the moustache jerked a little when he saw Lance. The boy on the stage straight up, focusing all his attention on the man, "Welcome to Altea Dance Club! My name is Coran, I'm the main choreographer in this fine establishment and this-" Coran gestured towards the girl sitting next to him, "is Miss Allura, the manager and the owner of The Club." The woman looked up from the papers and raised one eyebrow at Lance.  
He swallowed hard when he met Allura curious gaze. There was always a slight chance she wouldn't recognise him, right? 

"And you must be..." Coran picked up the sheet of paper from the top of a pile next to him and scanned it quickly, "Lance McClain, is that correct?"  
Lance cleared his throat and answered hesitantly.  
"Y-yes, sir."  
"As I recall we already have one McClain in our team. Are you perhaps relatives?"  
"Yes, sir. Vera... Veronica is my sister."  
"Very well then, let's see if talent runs in the family. Princess?" The girl leaned back in her chair with crossed arms and amused smirk dancing on her lips, giving Coran a small nod.  
Coran said a quick command to an ear mic of his own and immediately the music started playing.

Speakers filled the room with, so familiar to him, the sound of the drums. Time seemed to slow down, each period between thumps lasted for, what seemed to him, an eternity. Goosebump spreader over his skin and a small seed of panic in his guts now started growing bigger and bigger.  
He took one, shaky breath.  
Before the panic could bloom, his muscle memory kicked in like on an autopilot.

_First things first_  
_I'ma say all the words inside my head_  
_I'm fired up and tired of the way that things have been, oh ooh_  
_The way that things have been, oh ooh_

His body started to move to the music with fluidity and precision. After all, it was almost second nature to Lance.  
Quick movements of his arms, ended with a salute-like gesture. Smooth spin with a transition to next pose.  
His brain finally catching up to his body. Next steps went easily; smooth and perfect - as planned.  
He started to think about two steps forward before he made them. He slowly got low on his legs, just to get up right back. His hand slid down his body from head, while he balanced standing on one leg. He stumbled a little on the last move. Lance's mind going a hundred miles per hour, now stopped as if it hit the brick wall. He knew he had to let it go. He knew the steps. He just had to feel them. Just let it go.

_Second thing_  
_Second, don't you tell me what you think that I can be_  
_I'm the one at the sail, I'm the master of my sea, oh ooh_  
_The master of my sea, oh ooh_

One breath came easily after another. Everything around him disappeared when he entered his own mind. Now it was just him, the music and the floor under his feet. Confidence spread in his ribcage once more like a flame.  
He made a few popping moves. Short and dynamic.  
His body, with renewed energy, was moving to the rhythm like it would be made for it.

_I was broken from a young age_  
_Taking my soul to the masses_  
_Write down my poems for the few_  
_That looked at me took to me, shook to me, feeling me_

The mix of sluggish and rapid steps taken over his body, fitting into the music in perfect harmony. He could help a small, smug smile creep onto his face.

 _Singing from heartache from the pain_  
_Take up my message from the veins_  
_Speaking my lesson from the brain_  
_Seeing the beauty through_ the _…_

Lance quickly leaned back putting one hand on the ground behind him. The momentum of his body pushed his legs up. As if the air around him turned to some sticky, dense substance, he balanced, keeping himself in one-hand-stand, fitting to the resonant, slow, long note in the music.

_Pain!_

Coupled with the beginning of the chorus, his feet hit the ground and, never breaking away from the rhythm, he shifted into the next pose.

_You made me a, you made me a believer, believer_  
_You break me down, you build me up, believer, believer_  
_Pain!_  
_I let the bullets fly, oh let them rain_  
_My luck, my love, my God, they came from_  
_Pain!_  
_You made me a, you made me a believer, believer_

\--//--

_Third things third_  
_Send a prayer to the ones up above_  
_All the hate that you've heard has turned your spirit to a dove, oh ooh_  
_Your spirit up above, oh ooh_

Keith almost dropped his glass when he saw through a window of the break room a dark cluster of clouds spreading on the horizon. He knew what was coming and he got to get out of there. Fast. The worst part was that he had to leave Shiro like this again, but his brother will understand, he always does.

Now, as he was sprinting down the stairs Keith only had two aims in mind: not to fall and get to his bike as fast as possible. He dodged a few people hanging around in the lobby and was out in no time. A gusty, warm wind hit his face. A soft, distant rumble of an upcoming storm made him clench his teeth and swallow hard. As on an autopilot, he got to his bike, started the engine and soon was driving down the street.

_I was choking in the crowd_  
_Building my rain up in the cloud_  
_Falling like ashes to the ground_  
_Hoping my feelings, they would drown_

\--//--

_But they never did, ever lived, ebbing and flowing_  
_Inhibited, limited_  
_'Til it broke up and it rained down_  
_It rained down, like_

Lance fitted on stage more than anywhere else, his dance was hypnotising, addictive to an audience. He managed to embrace high energy and grace in each step. As the song was approaching the chorus, the dancer smoothly raised one leg above his head with hands balletically stretched out, ending in a standing split.

_Pain!_

He elegantly leaned ahead to roll forward into a set of quick jazz-like moves low on the ground.

_You made me a, you made me a believer, believer_  
_You break me down, you built me up, believer, believer_  
_Pain!_  
_I let the bullets fly, oh let them rain_  
_My life, my love, my drive, it came from_  
_Pain!_  
_You made me a, you made me a believer, believer_

In the back of his head, he knew he was watched and judged. He thrived on it because he could feel he was a sight to see. The song was running to its end, it was his last chance to show what he got, so as fluent yet powerful as water going down a waterfall, he jumped into the last step-sequence.

 _Last things last_  
_By the grace of the fire and the flames_  
_You're the face of the future, the blood in my veins,_ oh _ooh_  
_The blood in my veins,_ oh _ooh_  
_But they never did, ever lived, ebbing and flowing_  
_Inhibited, limited_  
_'Til it broke up and it rained down_  
_It rained down, like_

At this point, it felt like he could spit out his lungs. He planned the last part with intense and swift moves. Fast spin transferred into a roll of his hips. The adrenaline and endorphins didn't let him feel the fire in his muscles. Few last motions and finally Lance theatrically fell down to his knees, arms going down in loose motion, as the music faded out.

_Pain!_  
_You made me a, you made me a believer,_  
_believer_

"Mister McClain?"  
The words made him snap out of the state he was in. He must have been gasping on his knees for the last 30 seconds. He quickly stood up and collect himself. He tried to look confident and faced the girl who was speaking.  
"Say, did you choreograph it yourself?"  
"Yes, I did." He could help a smile that slowly bloomed on his face, he was really proud of himself.

The pair behind the table note something up and Lance just stood where he was, waiting for, well, he wasn't sure what, but he thought there would be something more to it. After a while of awkward standing, the man with a moustache finally looked up and blinked a few times confused "Uhm... thank you, that'll be all."  
Lance smile dropped immediately. Is that all he gets?  
There was nothing left for him to do than leave the stage and go back on his spot in the corridor.

\--//--

Minutes past quickly turning into hours. At some point, the staff guy stopped calling the participants and advised everyone to stay put, because he's gonna call them all in, as soon as they will have the results.

Some people were bragging about how well they did and that they're gonna get the job for sure, some were pacing back and forth talking to themselves, some were just sitting in silence staring on the clock, there was a crying girl sitting on the floor and another comforting her. There was just too many emotions for such a small area.

When eventually, the stage door opened a deathly hush fell on the room. The staff guy who poked his head out the entry noticed that everyone is staring at him, so just silently nodded and open wide the door.

Just now, when they were all gathered on stage, Lance noticed how many people were actually there, they took up the whole place. Allura and Coran were now standing in front of them with an excitement on their faces.

"First of all, I would like to thank all of you for coming here and performing for us." Allura started in her elegant British accent. "We've seen a lot of excellent dancers today but unfortunately we can hire just a few of you. Before we announce the names of selected dancers, allow me to say a few words about the decision." She made a little stop and sighted. "You see, my father used to say that dancing is a lot like talking with your body, which I think is an accurate statement. We are not looking for someone who can just follow the steps or move to the rhythm, as good as it would be. We are looking for someone who can really put their mind and soul into it and show what they mean." She made an eye contact with Coran for a while. "I'm convinced we found just that today." The man got the cue, cleared his throat and looked at the clipboard he was holding. "Now for the moment, we've all been waiting for..."

Just then, from the speakers started playing a tense music, straight from Who Wants To Be A Millionaire. A light giggle passed through the crowd but Coran pinched the bridge of his nose, visibly fighting his own grin.  
"Thanks, Pidge, but I don't think that will be necessary." He whispered to his ear mic.

After the music stopped, the man continued. "Now, if I read your name please step forward." Perfect silence took over the dancers once again. The tension in the air was so thick, one could almost cut it with a knife. After a few ungodly long seconds, Coran spoke up again. "Sam Davis"  
A man from the back almost jumped from excitement and started squeezing through the crowd. He stopped next to Coran and was almost vibrating with joy.

Lance wasn't sure how many places they were, maybe 10, maybe 8, or maybe just 3. But after Coran read the next name, he got a nasty feeling in his stomach, a small bundle of stress squeezing all his organs together. A tall handsome guy nonchalantly stepped right from the front and with a shit-eating grin stood right next to other chosen dancer.

Next person was a girl, the same one that was crying in the corridor a while ago. Now with the biggest smile, Lance has ever seen, still sobbing but this time from happiness. Looking at the girl, an odd thought passed Lance's mind.

Maybe it wasn't meant to be. Maybe there was someone else, who deserved this place more than him. Sure, he was good, but there is always someone better. To think of it, maybe it would be better this way. Surely he wouldn't stop dancing if he didn't get in. He would train twice as hard for the next year and become an even better dancer and maybe...

"Lance McClain"

\--//--

Honestly, he can't remember exactly what happened in the last 20 minutes, he just started to calm down. What he knew for sure was that his jaw started to hurt from smiling, that he physically had to refrain himself from exploding from joy and that he was in the elevator going to the ground floor.  
Oh, and that he got in.

His grin got even wider as he looked down on the fresh new contract of employment with his name on it and Allura's signature. He also got printouts of schedules, rooms and hours for the next month and, thank god, he got this on paper, even though Coran carefully explained everything they need to know, he wouldn't remember it tomorrow for sure. He barely could think straight now.

The elevator stopped with a soft ring and opened to the lobby, where Hunk and Pidge were already waiting for him.

"AAAAAAAAAAAAHH!!!" the three of them started to screech on top of their lungs, making other people in the lobby to look at them in fear as on some unholy creatures. They run into each other arms squeezing Lance between them, still yelling.

"I'm so proud of you, man! I knew you could do it! I'm so happy!"  
"You worked so hard! You were amazing out there!"  
"Aaaaw! Thanks, guys, I still kinda don't believe it myself, but HELL YEAH it feels great!"  
Hunk and Pidge finally released Lance from their hug. Pidge adjusted her glasses making it glint "Oh right! How about we get home, order a double-cheese pizza and make a toast with the finest cider we can find in a Walmart on our way back?!" They cheered back in agreement and headed out.  
Hunk ruffled Lance's hair "You might be an amazing dancer but I'm still gonna kick your ass in Mario Kart tonight!"  
"Hah! You wish!"

When they open the door, only a small roofing above the entrance keep them from pouring rain outside.  
"Oh, maaaan!" Hunk whined and first stepped outside and started to jog toward his car, holding his bag above his head.

A broad smile bloomed on Lance's face again. He walked into the rain and looked upon dark clouds. What started as a soft chuckle, gradually turned into a wholehearted laughter. Pidge, watching him from the door, couldn't help but smile. After Hunk started the car and drove close to the entrance, Pidge ran up to Lance and pulled him by a sleeve.  
"C'mon, you freak!" She dragged him into the yellow van and they drove away.

**Author's Note:**

> You can scream at me on my [Tumblr](http://house-of-anna.tumblr.com/ask)
> 
> And shout-out to my lovely beta's:  
> [ Fe-niks ](http://fe-niks.tumblr.com/)  
> [ Lanceisvalidbitch ](http://lanceisvalidbitch.tumblr.com/)


End file.
